Chomsky's And Skinner
There are different theories that exist regarding language acquisition A.N. Chomsky's perspective follows the Nativist theory wherein it is believed that children have a Language Acquisition Device in their brains that gives them the natural ability to organize the laws of language even without formal training. B.F. Skinner on the other hand explained language acquisition through a learning process that positively reinforces correct form of grammar and the incorrect form is negatively reinforced. This is what he called, Verbal Operant Conditioning.
These are two different perspectives with different sets of arguments, but in my opinion the more feasible one is that of Chomsky's. Skinner, being a behavioral psychologist, only looked on the "outer" aspect of the process. He only saw the physical stimulus that serves as reinforcements to acquiring the grammar. But where does the child's vocabulary come from in the first place and how can it explain the rapid evolution of his/her vast grammar? Skinner's perspective limits learning to what the child hears and experiences, but even on the same culture/country not every child receives the same kind of stimulus yet they learn the same set of vocabulary. Not all caregivers reinforce their children in the same way such that they all learn the same grammar rules. Also, I believe that every kind of animal have their own natural instinct to communicate. Just like how Chomsky explains, a child is "built" to learn how to talk. It is part of survival. Chomsky coins the terms generative grammar and transformational grammar which explain the natural ability of the child to organize language according to a set of rules that would give rise to the formulation of an infinite set of sentences and the process that takes place in the evolution of these sentences to more complex forms. This, for me, is a more complete explanation of language acquisition. Although Skinner's may also play a part in the whole process, his theory seems incomplete.
Bibliography:
Wikipedia Contributors (2006). "B.F. Skinner." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 2, 2006 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.F._Skinner
Wikipedia Contributors (2006). "Language acquisition." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 2, 2006 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_acquisition
Wikipedia Contributors (2006). "Noam Chomsky." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 2, 2006 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky
How does Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy relate to your pursuit of obtaining your terminal degree? What strategies can you use to improve your self-efficacy in your academic research and writing? Self-efficacy refers to what we believe we are capable of doing. People with high self-efficacy set challenging goals and commit to achieving them, which is what I did when I enrolled in this degree program. If I did not have a
Retrieved April 2, 2008, at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-14125483.html The Columbia World of Quotations. (1996). New York: Columbia University Press. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from: www.bartleby.com/66/. David, Daniel. "Quo Vadis Cbt? Trans-Cultural Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies: Interviews With the Current Leadership in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies." Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies; one 9/1/2007. Retrieved April 2, 2008, at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1364057551.html www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=95724398 Debell, C.S. (1992) B.F. Skinner: Myth and Misperception. Teaching of
Starting from 19th century psychology, school of thought of behaviorist shared commonalities and as well ran concurrently with the 20th century psychology of psychoanalytic and Gestalt movements, however it was different from Gestalt psychologists' mental philosophy in significant ways. Psychologists who had major influences in it were Edward Lee Thorndike, John B. Watson, they opposed method of introspective and advocated to use of experimental methods: Ivan Pavlov, investigated classical conditioning,
Cognitive Psychology borrows heavily from the works of Alfred Adler, Albert Ellis, and Aaron Beck. In fact, it is founded on Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology. Freud had insisted that sexual impulses were the chief factor in formation of normal and neurotic personality something that made him part ways with Adler who went ahead and formed a new approach that became the basis for all cognitive psychologies. Behaviorism formed the basis of
Bilingualism: First and second language acquisition theorists Experience as a bilingual person The term bilingual is used for the individuals that are having a command over more than one communication system. The learning process for the second language is elaborated in the work below. The detailed definition of bilingualism and work of first and second language theorists is also presented in the relevant sections. Later, the influence of reading through the literature and
Psychologists Use Scientific Methods to Study behavior and mental processes. behavioral disorders. unconscious mental processes. the meaning of dreams. Cognitive psychology can best be described as the study of higher mental processes. the therapeutic applications of critical thinking. the area of psychology which attempts to reduce judgmental thinking. a subspecialty of psychology based exclusively on observation rather than experimentation. Who was a leading proponent of behaviorism in the United States until his/her death in 1990? Carl Rogers Skinner Ivan Pavlov Albert Bandura Charles Darwin argued
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now